Southern Christmas Show 2011 - Charlotte, NC

This was my first trip to this annual event, and I was amazed at the amount of people that flock to this Crafter's Bonanza.  The entire floor of the Charlotte Merchandise Mart seemed to be standing room only and after 3 hours of being jostled, nudged, or endless waiting to move down the aisles, my party and I came to the conclusion that we had seen enough.

Outside of the crowds, there were so many interesting booths of small homegrown businesses spanning from Ohio to Georgia.  You could find anything from homemade fudge to 3' tall Collegiate Plastic Santas (painted in your favorite team's colors, of course!) for your front yard.  I was somewhat disappointed in the amount of home decor items, but I did find a few things notable for holiday decorating that I thought were worth sharing.


The three rooms above were a few of the ones featured when you first arrive in the Designer Booths.  The dining room won first prize in the competition and was certainly my favorite.  Her color scheme of spicy orange, cream, and dark green was a new twist on the traditional holiday go-tos.  She created interest by using natural elements like magnolia leaves, dried gourds, and birds on a backdrop of simple, classic furniture with clean lines.  

The newest idea I saw in holiday decor was the use of burlap or linen, which certainly is right on trend for 2011.

 

  



I will be attempting something of this sort myself for the holidays, so stay tuned for some how-tos!

I also found a couple of cute lamps.  You can find the glass jar lamp shown below at Old Time Pottery for $59.99 - an affordable way to add some Christmas cheer to your home and you can always change out your filler for the rest of the year.  The monogramed lampshade was just so cute with the rickrack and colorblocking.  Easy to make your own with adhesive vinyl  lettering from Polkda Dots and What Nots!


If you do find yourself willing to battle the crowds in the next 10 days, please check out my friend Carly's booth, Leap of Faith Clothing.  She has launched a line of "Cape" tees (with a detatchable velcro cape) for children and is offering them at the Christmas Show with FREE personalization for $25-$30.  They are adorable and a perfect Christmas gift for any children in your family!